Police Say Thetford Man Dies In Hospital After Taser Used On Him

Col. Thomas L'Esperance, left, director of the Vermont State Police, briefs the media after a Thetford man died after a trooper attempted to subdue him with a Taser. The incident is under investigation.

State police are
investigating whether a trooper's use of a Taser stun gun caused a Thetford's man's
death Wednesday.

Police are also investigating
if the use of force was justified in the incident.

The death of 39-year-old Macadam
Mason of Thetford appears to be the first fatality involving an electronic stun
gun deployed by a state police officer.

But Colonel Thomas
L'Esperance, the director of the state police, said it's not yet clear whether
the Taser shock was the direct cause of Mason's death.

"We need to get the
understanding of exactly what took place leading up to the deployment, what
took place after the deployment, what was the cause of death," L'Esperance told
reporters. "And I assure you we're going to look into that."

L'Esperance said the state
police responded to Mason's house after he called the Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center and threatened to harm himself and others. L'Esperance
said troopers also learned that Mason may have had weapons and was prepared to
use them.

Mason left the house and went
into nearby woods. But after several hours, he returned and an officer ordered
Mason to the ground. L'Esperance said
the officer lowered his firearm and drew his Taser when he saw Mason was
unarmed. L'Esperance described what happened next.

"The trooper continued to
tell Mr. Mason to get on his stomach at which time Mr. Mason stood up and moved
toward the trooper with a closed fist yelling aggressively at the trooper," he
said. "The trooper and Mr. Mason were now less than ten feet from one another.
The trooper continued with verbal commands for Mr. Mason to get on the ground,
and after several failed attempts for Mr. Mason to comply the trooper deployed
his Taser, striking Mr. Mason in the chest."

Mason fell and stopped
breathing. The trooper administered CPR and an ambulance took Mason to the
Dartmouth Hitchcock hospital, where he was pronounced dead. An autopsy was
being conducted Thursday afternoon, but the results were not immediately
available.

L'Esperance said state police
officers are trained in the use of Tasers, including in dealing with people in
distress or with mental illness. But he said troopers also have to defend
themselves.

"Certainly there are ways to
de-escalate crisis and we go through a process to try to de-escalate a crisis,"
he said. "At the same time you have to appreciate and respect the job that's
being done out there by the men and women of law enforcement that they're
placed in these positions ... We're going to answer the call. At the same time,
we need to protect ourselves."

Vermont State Police were
issued Tasers in April of last year. L'Esperance said the stun guns - which
immobilize by discharging 50-thousand volts - were deployed 32 times last year
by state police. So far this year, police have used the weapons 16 times.

The Vermont chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union says
Tasers should only be used when deadly force is justified. Allen Gilbert is the
group's executive director.

"Tasers are not safe weapons.
They're called less lethal, according to the manufacturer, Taser International,"
he said. "They are capable of causing death and serious bodily injury. They
should only be used on a limited number of people. The barbs should not be shot
at someone's chest because of the risk of causing heart problems."

L'Esperance said Mason had a
criminal record, including domestic assault. He said the incident is being
investigated by the state police and the results will be turned over to the
attorney general and to the Orange County state's attorney.

UPDATE:
Authorities have named the
state trooper who fired the stun gun. Police say the trooper, David Shaffer, fired when Macadam
Mason came at him during a standoff on Wednesday.